Beneath The Surface
by Sheyliegh
Summary: This story is the story of Severus Snape's past. Mostly his childhood. Very sad and depressing. But I'm a very sad a depressing person. So this is right up my alley. Enjoy and PLEASE review! I wanna know what you think!
1. Why?

Ten year old Severus Snape sat in his bedroom alone on his bed thinking to himself. His   
  
ceiling had been stared at all day. There had been no interuptions which was a relief to him. His  
  
mother was busy cooking supper for her husband for when he got home from work. Her husband,   
  
Severus' father, was a man by the name of Regines Snape. He worked at the ministry of magic as  
  
an unspeakable. Severus' brother Sean would be arriving soon as well.   
  
Sean was older by two years and attended Hogwarts. But seeing how it was holiday, he was  
  
at home for now. Severus still had another year before going to school. The heat in the small   
  
bedroom was almost unbearable. Sweat trickled down the small boys' face. He could feel the   
  
wetness on his back, soaking through the sheet. His eyes fluttered shut. He was almost asleep   
  
when he suddenly heard his father's booming voice. 'Great' thought Severus.  
  
Getting up out of his safe haven he made his way to the family room where he was expected  
  
every night at his fathers arrival home. Regines was a tall man of about six foot. He had short,  
  
black hair which he kept gelled back. He had a gotee which came to a point. To society he was a  
  
well respected gentleman. But that's just what society thought. Severus knew the truth.  
  
Supper was as usual. Sean went on about his day of playing with friends while his mother  
  
sat listening. Regines sat as if unaware of anything in the room except his meal. Severus sat  
  
eating quietly as he knew he should. The stew his mother had worked on for several hours went   
  
down his throat but most unwelcoming. The heat from it just made the heat he felt on his skin  
  
even worse. He felt nauses. But whether or not it was because of the heat, he did not know. He   
  
knew only too well the activities that would take place once the table was cleared.   
  
His mother, bless her soul, tried every night to have a peaceful family gathering in the  
  
family room. But it almost always turned out anything but peaceful. Once they were all seated  
  
in the furniture they sat there just staring, locked in their own heads. Severus' mother tried  
  
her best to strike up a conversation which all of them could perticipate in. Regines had made  
  
this time his time to drink. He sat oblivious to everything, drinking fire whisky. So it was no  
  
different on this very night.  
  
Severus didn't hear the whole conversation, but he figured how it was going to end.   
  
"Marianne, why must you always bring up my work? You know I am not to speak of it." The odor from  
  
his mouth was strong. The glazed look that he had in his eyes meant only that he was once again  
  
drunk.  
  
"I just thought it would be pleasent if we discussed our day with one another. It may   
  
give us a better understanding of each other."  
  
Regines got up out of his seat and threw the empty bottle into the fire place. This was   
  
of course always around the time that Sean and Severus were excused into their bedroom. "And  
  
why would you you or our sons want a better understanding of me?"   
  
"I just- I just thought-"  
  
"That's right. You thought. That's what's wrong with this picture. How many times must I  
  
tell you that I do the thinking around here, I decide what we do and do not discuss, and I decide  
  
everything else."  
  
"I-I-I just..."  
  
"Don't talk back to me."  
  
"I wasn't. I was just explaining-"  
  
"I said don't talk back to me." A hand flew fast through the air knocking Marianne to the  
  
floor.   
  
"Boys. Go to your room." And they obeyed immediately.  
  
Severus sat on his end of the room in his favorite corner. He would always sit here when  
  
he wanted to escape the world. Sean, whether he understood or not, kept away from him and just   
  
let him be. His parents voices come through the door and into Severus' ear. He couldn't make out  
  
what they were saying, but he knew they were arguing. Every once in a while he would hear his   
  
mother let out a scream. Every time she would do so, he got cold chills up his spine, and closed   
  
his eyes tight shut, wishing that it would all just end. But it never did.  
  
***  
  
It was Saturday. Regines was home from work. The sun beat down on Severus' back as he   
  
leaned over in the garden helping his mother pick weeds out from around the vegitables. He did   
  
it of course without magic as she sat to the side of the garden doing it by her wand. Regines was  
  
busy trying to fix some guttering that had fallen in the front of the house. But of course by  
  
using magic. He would never think of doing it the muggle way.   
  
Sean was no where to be seen. But this was not unnatural. He was always gone to a friends  
  
house or playing with a group of friends or even wondering the country side. They lived in the  
  
country just outside of London. This made it so that they would not be suspected of anything   
  
unnatural by muggle standards. So it was a relief to the two adults.   
  
"No. Severus. You're stepping on the squashes. Do be more careful. Oh no. Now you're   
  
stepping on the carrots. Oh dear." Marianne had gotten up out of her seat to walk over to him and  
  
show him where to stand. But before she could get over to him, Severus lost his balance and fell  
  
over onto a bunch of squashes of course smashing them. "Oh Severus!"  
  
Somewhere from behind someone grabbed him by the collar and threw him over into the   
  
grass. Severus looked up to see his father standing over him. "Didn't you hear your mother?"  
  
"It-it was an accident sir. I promise. I would never mean to-" But before he could finish  
  
his sentence there was an intense blow to his stomach. Everything went black for a moment. When   
  
he could see again his father was right down in his face. "Don't upset your mother again." His   
  
hand went across Severus' small face with a pang. Severus, trying to hide his hurt-hide his pain,  
  
ran into the house and locked himself in his bedroom.   
  
This had never happened before. Although Regines had always hit Marianne, he had never   
  
struck one of his boys. Severus put his finger into his mouth. When he pulled it out, there was   
  
blood covering the tip of his finger. "Why?" he wondered aloud. "He's never hit me before. Always  
  
mother..."  
  
But it continued. He became the victim of his fathers drunkeness and frustration just as  
  
his mother. Hardly was he ever in his corner listening to his mother scream and get beat, but he  
  
was one of the two screaming and living in fear. Sean remained unharmed. He, just as usual, was  
  
excused into their bedroom when his father got out of control. Severus was to remain though just  
  
incase his father felt like hitting him that night.   
  
One particular night remained in his memory. It was the night before Sean was to return  
  
to Hogwarts. The events throughout the day and night was similiar to the ones that had past. A   
  
good homecooked meal, a family sitting around the table enjoying it, and then going into the   
  
living to discuss whatever came to mind. It sounds like a typical family night. But for some one  
  
who's family actually followed that skit. This was hardly ever the role at the Snape house.   
  
Things carried on the same.   
  
It was a very hot day, but the setting of the sun around eight o'clock brought some what  
  
of a relief in the temperature along with a slight breeze. The Snape's sat outside on their   
  
front porch. Marianne used her wand to perform fireworks for the children. Severus and Sean   
  
clapped at each one. Regines just sat on the porch step drinking his fire whisky. Once Marianne  
  
had finished her fireworks show for the night, Severus began to chase and catch fire flies. Sean  
  
sat with his mother in lawn chairs talking of the adventures that his future school year would   
  
bring. But this didn't ammuse Severus at all. He kept to his fire fly chasing.   
  
He chased one right up a hill to the very top. He pushed off of the ground with his small  
  
legs, leaping in the air and falling catching his desired fire fly. After falling to the ground   
  
on top of the hill, he lay there in the grass to catch his breath. He looked up at the stars   
  
trying to remember a night of which he had enjoyed so much. He was unable to think of any. This  
  
had been a great night. Leaning back on one arm he opened his hand cautiously and saw the soft  
  
yellow glow of the fire fly. He let it go and watched it fly higher until he could no longer tell  
  
it apart from the stars in the sky.  
  
Right when he thought that nothing could ruin his night, he was proved wrong. Looking  
  
upon the porch down from the hill, he saw that his family no longer sat there. Severus got up and  
  
started to run down the hill. The slight breeze and the pace of which he ran made his black,  
  
semi-long hair flow behind him. Closing his eyes he imagined that he was on his very own broom-  
  
stick flying through the air, without a care in the world. But his dream was cut short very soon.  
  
Falling to the ground, Severus realized that he had run into something or someone. He   
  
opened his eyes and looked up to see his father. A firm hand grasped his upper arm and he was   
  
being forced into the house with harldy touching the ground. Once inside he was threw down upon   
  
the floor. He saw his mother sitting in her chair. Sean was no where to be seen. Marianne had   
  
tears in her eyes and wore a look of fear. Although it hadn't been spoken, Severus was almost   
  
certain that he had done something to annoy his father.  
  
"What do you think you're doing running off and playing like that, when you didn't finish   
  
your chores for the day?"  
  
"But father I did finish them." But before he could finish explaining he was lifted to  
  
his feet once more and led into the bathroom. He was then pushed onto the floor in front of the  
  
toilet.   
  
"You were to clean the bathroom today."  
  
"But I did."  
  
"Look into that toilet. I can still see where it needs to be clean. I can not see it   
  
shine like your mother asked for. Do you see it?"  
  
"No, sir."  
  
"Well here, take a better look why don't you?" The same hand that had picked him up off  
  
of the floor and had grabbed him out in the yard took a hold of the back of Severus' neck.   
  
Before he had a chance to grab a quick breath, his face was forced down into the toilet bowl.   
  
He tried to force his way back up to the surface so that he could breath. But his father  
  
would not loosen his grip. Marianne was screaming for him to let go. But nothing she said could   
  
make him quit. Finally after what seemed like forever, his face was lifted out. Severus collapsed  
  
onto the floor coughing up water that he had swollowed while at the same time trying to take in  
  
as much air as his little lungs could.   
  
"Living room. Now." Picking himself off of the floor Severus obeyed. His mother followed   
  
as well. That night he was hit more than he had ever been in his life. His mother watched,  
  
screaming for her husband to stop. But he was determined to give Severus the punishment he felt  
  
he deserved. Regines would stop every once in a while and start hitting Marianne instead. The   
  
screaming rang in the young boys' ears. He wanted to cry. He wanted to make it all stop. But he  
  
couldn't. So he knew he needed to come up with a better way to get around his mother and him   
  
getting beat to death. 


	2. Where There's A Will

The house lay still and quiet. Severus was cleaning the front room windows until they  
  
shined. His mother was out at Diagon Alley getting groceries and other needed items. Sean had   
  
left for school the day before, and Regines was at work. So the house remained Severus' for the  
  
rest of the afternoon. But this was how he liked it. He liked the quiet, the stillness, the   
  
concept of being alone. It was in this time that he was free to think to himself without being  
  
interupted. He was able to do what he wished.  
  
He walked up the stairs to the second story, and stopped in front of his father's study.   
  
The windows were perfect to his satisfaction, so he now had the rest of the afternoon to mess  
  
around as he wished. Every book was placed on the shelves with care. There was too many to count  
  
exactly. This was Severus' favorite room in the house although he was never allowed in here with  
  
any one's knowing. He had to sneak in here when the time was right so that he could get a glimpse  
  
of his fathers life.   
  
Severus ran his fingers along the desk. He came to a stop and sat in the big leather   
  
chair that had accompanied his father on long nights of business work. A few books lay scattered  
  
over the desk's surface. One laid open. Severus sifted through them until he came upon one that  
  
caught his interest. It was a book of spells. He leafed through the pages. Picking a page at   
  
random he opened to a page that contained spells on self defense. This is what he had been   
  
looking for.  
  
Although he was still underage, he had a wand that his mother had gotten for him when he  
  
was first born. It was put up out of his reach until he was able to attend school. He had only   
  
touched it once. And that was when he had stumbled across it. He had never done magic, or even   
  
thought of doing it while he was still out of school. But it had come to the worst of situations,  
  
and he felt like it might be wise for both his mother and he if he learned some self defense   
  
spells to use against his father. Seeing that she herself would do nothing about it.   
  
Findind the right one was almost easy. He found one that was effective enough to keep his  
  
father away, but wouldn't hurt him in the process. Now he needed to get to his wand. He returned  
  
the books to their original condition before getting down from the big leather chair and going to  
  
get his wand. He knew exactly where it was. His mother was almost certain that he had no idea   
  
where it was, but she was very wrong. Spending the long days at home by himself, he had managed   
  
to find it.   
  
It was out in the shed out back up on a top shelf. It had been wrapped and put into a box  
  
with a charm to keep it safe from the weather. Severus went out into the back yard and opened the   
  
shed door with some difficulty. Him being so small and fragile made the door seem twice as heavy  
  
as it really was. At once he spied it up on the shelf, out of reach. There was a bucket that had  
  
been turned up-side-down. It had held a bunch of baby flobberworms that had been so carelessly   
  
left on their property.  
  
It made a perfect step-stool for reaching up to the top shelf. Severus stood on his tip-  
  
toes and was barely able to reach the shelf. He reached as far as he could until he felt the box   
  
touch his hand. He quickly grabbed it right before he fell off of the bucket. Sitting on the  
  
floor of the shed he opened the box carefully. The 13 and a half inch Purpleheart wand with   
  
dragonheart string core, lay in his palm. This was the key to defending himself against his   
  
father.   
  
***  
  
His mother returned late with supper that she had bought from the leaky cauldron. She   
  
said that she had not felt like cooking and thought that it was time for a change in food. In  
  
two brown paper bags she had brought home a couple of sandwiches which had been fixed by the  
  
cooks at the resturant. Regines got home at his regular time, in his usual grumpy mood. His black   
  
hair had been ruffled severly by the wind whcih had picked up outside.  
  
Sitting in the dining room eating, the wind whistled as it went around the corner of the  
  
house. Everyone ate quietly without a word. Neither one of the parents knew that their younger  
  
son sat amongst them with his wand hidden up his sweatshirt sleeve. After dinner, Regines went   
  
with his fire whisky to his study to work. His mother had taken a seat on the couch in the living  
  
room with a book that she had been in the middle of reading. Severus went out on the front porch  
  
and sat waiting to see if anything would happen that night. And if it did, he was prepared.   
  
He had practiced the spell in the back yard. To do it he had thrown a rock at a bee hive  
  
that was hanging in a tree. The bees all came out and started to swarm around the yard. Severus  
  
pointed the wand at himself and said the spell loudly and clearly. Around him a type of bubble  
  
had formed. He was certain that it had worked. So he walked up to the swarm of bees. They were   
  
flung from around him, unnable to come within three feet of him. As soon as he was finished, an  
  
owl swooped from over head and dropped a letter at Severus' feet. He knew exactly what it was at  
  
once. It was a warning letter from the ministry. But they couldn't scare him. If he was to use   
  
the spell later on against his father, it would be only to protect himself and his mother, and   
  
that alone was a good enough argument against the ministry.   
  
Sitting on the porch step he listened to the crickets begin to chirp as the sun started   
  
to set. The last rays of the day shone through the trees making the sky look a mixture of purple,  
  
blue, and pink. The wind that was making the evening colder than it looked, made Severus shiver  
  
and realize that he better get inside before it got too cold. Entering the house he heard his   
  
father's voice come down the stairs. "Marianne, will you come here a minute?" The words were slow  
  
and somewhat slurred. He was getting drunk.  
  
She did as she was told and made her way up the stairs, but Severus followed right behind  
  
her. When they got into the room, Regines was stading behind his desk looking down into a book.   
  
"Will you tell me why you were up in my study today?"  
  
"Regines, I was in Diagon Alley all day. I wasn't any where near your study."  
  
"Don't lie to me. Some one was in here today. Someone was looking up a spell or two on  
  
defense." Severus looked at the desk and saw that the page that he had gotten the spell from was  
  
still open. He had forgotten to put it back. Right away he knew he had to do something.  
  
Severus took a step out from behind his mother. Regines' eyes went right to him. "What   
  
are you doing in here?"  
  
"I-I just..." His hand felt for his wand taht was up his sleeve. He knew that he was   
  
going to have to pull it out any second now. "I came up here with mother in case you wanted to  
  
yell at me as well."  
  
"Don't get smart with me boy." The look in his eyes told Severus that he wasn't   
  
completely drunk yet, but close. "Were you at home today while your mother was away?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Were you in my study when you know you are not to come near it?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Come here boy." Severus did as he was told and went to stand in front of his father. He   
  
was grabbed up by the collar and brought close to his father's face. The smell of the whisky was  
  
strong on his breath. "What were you doing in here?"  
  
"Nothing. L-looking."  
  
"Don't lie to me." Severus was thrown to the floor. But he quickly regained his balance   
  
and got onto his feet once more. Looking to the other side of the room he saw his mother, and ran  
  
to her. Regines moved torwards them with an evil look in his eye. "I ought to beat you and your  
  
mother both silly."  
  
"No. You will not harm neither one of us again."  
  
"Oh, is that so? And how do you figure? You can not stop me. You are too weak, and   
  
underage for a wizard. There is nothing you can do to me." He moved to make his first move. But  
  
Severus was faster.  
  
"No more!" And with that, in one smooth movement, he removed his wand from his sleeve and  
  
yelled the spell he had looked up earlier. There was a forcefeild created around his mother and   
  
him. His father went to strike but his hand could not come close to Severus' face.  
  
Frustrated, Regines took out his wand as well and said the countercurse. Suddenly Severus   
  
realized that he had been so foolish as to think that his father owuld not know the countercurse.  
  
"That was a bad move my boy. A very bad move."  
  
Never within the past few weeks could Severus ever remember being beat more than he was  
  
that night. He was beat into unconsciousness, which saved him the trouble of crying himself to  
  
sleep. When he awoke the next morning, he was covered in bruises and every muscle in his body   
  
ached. He winced at the pain as he made an effort to sit up. He was in the middle of the hallway  
  
floor. Appearently no one had felt the need to move him from where he lay.  
  
Getting up he went into the kitchen to find his mother sitting at the table staring into   
  
space. She looked up at him with a smile and a black eye. "Severus. Come here Sev." Severus did  
  
as he was told and went to his mother, who embraced him in a hug. "It's okay. I'm here." She  
  
smoothed out his black hair, which had been mixed in with the blood that had emerged from the  
  
deep cut in his head.   
  
Severus pulled from his mother and looked into her eyes. There were tears there, but she  
  
fought to keep them back. He culd tell that she was hurt in more ways than one. "Why? Why does  
  
he do this to you?"  
  
  
  
"He's just stressed honey. Work strains him immensly. We just have to let him take out   
  
his aggressions."  
  
"But by hitting you? Mum, this has got to stop." Severus was clever for his age. He  
  
understood the way things like this worked, while most boys his age hadn't a care in the world  
  
except for the stats of the last professional Quidditch match.   
  
"Sev, what you did last night was brave. I won't say that it wasn't foolish, but it was   
  
brave. I thank you for trying to protect us. I'm afraid there's just no way that we can stop   
  
him."  
  
Severus' black eyes found their way to his mother's blue ones. "Leave him, mum. We can   
  
leave. Get away from this. It's not fair for you. Daddy shouldn't do that to you."  
  
"Shh... it's okay." She pulled him close again. Severus felt the wetness of tears soak  
  
through his shirt, and onto his shoulder. 


End file.
